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Corbett administration releases report on gas drilling in state forests

Marcellus well pad aerial

Under former Governor Ed Rendell, Pennsylvania leased portions of the state forest for natural gas drilling in the Marcellus Shale; the state today released a report on the impacts.
(DONALD GILLILAND | dgilliland@pennlive.com)

Aspects of the report that DCNR chose to highlight in a Wednesday morning press release include:

Water is the resource that most people cite when expressing their concerns about shale gas production. Although incidents have occurred, the monitoring data shows that water quality has not been affected due to this activity.

Approximately 1,486 acres of state forest has been converted through 2012 to facilitate gas development; a number that is lower as a result of a management decision to place this activity within or adjacent to existing infrastructure or existing disturbances where it is more noticeable to the public, but requires less forest disturbance.

Invasive species are a concern as areas of disturbance tend to create conditions conducive to invasion of unwanted plant species or pests. The report clearly shows that invasive species need to be carefully managed and controlled. DCNR leases require that companies address invasive species.

Recreational experiences and expectations vary by user. Some recreationists prefer solitude and a more wilderness-type experience whereas others such as motorized vehicle enthusiasts are happy with a less primitive and more developed experience. The monitoring data shows a trend from the more remote experience to a semi-primitive experience. This bears close scrutiny to ensure that a wide variety of recreational experiences are available on the state forests in the future.

The press release quoted DCNR Secretary Ellen Ferretti saying, "The breadth and depth of this report demonstrates that shale gas production on state forests is being carefully managed."

According to the press release, "DCNR’s shale gas monitoring program began full implementation in 2011 after Governor Corbett approved the hiring of a 15-member dedicated monitoring team and the department met with advisory committees, began developing monitoring protocols and building a variety of tools such as tracking and mapping databases. Data collection and field implementation started in earnest in 2012. The department began compiling the report in 2013, with data collection ongoing today and into the future."

NOTE: This story has been updated from the original to add the "update" link to the full analysis story.

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